The stories we tell

I've spent the last month offering up a series of posts based on Chip and Dan Heath's book about viral marketing. In the last article of the series I'll be examining the craft of telling a story. The idea of using a story to make a point stick is an ancient one, going back to Biblical times when parables were used to explain spiritual principles.
Of all the keys to creating a sticky message, I have to admit this one is my absolute favorite. Anyone who has seen me speak knows I'm a story teller. I'm one of those people who teaches and explains best via analogy or example and I've been told time and time again by people in my sessions that those stories really help drive home the point.
The nice thing about story telling is it's not just for teaching, it's a compelling way to get someone to both remember and talk about your point.
(I've pulled these six components from Chip and Dan Heath's Made to Stick and put my own spin on them.)
Part One: The Need for Simplicity
Part Two: … [Read more...] about Six Keys to a Viral Message that Sticks – Part Six: Tell a Story

I frequently advise clients that the secret to successful search engine optimization is to have content that people really want to find. And, beyond SEO, the secret to a successful site is that the same content makes prospective buyers want to read it, and it persuades them to buy what you are selling. It sounds simple, and for some companies, it is simple, but we often make things more complicated than they are. I find that small and large companies each struggle with this question of what story to tell, but they struggle in different ways.
Large companies always ask me, "How do I decide which story to tell? We have so many stories that I can't choose." Small companies ask me, "But what can I say? We're just a little company and no one will care."
Image by Jill Clardy via Flickr
Both of these questions miss the point, because they presuppose that each question actually has a correct answer. Neither one does.
These questions are a lot like asking, "What should I talk about with my … [Read more...] about For SEO, you need a story to tell

Chad Summerhill wrote a nice post recently about something you should
be doing if you manage your own PPC account and something you should be
showing your clients if you manage accounts for others - visual statistically significant ad test results by time period. Check out the "how-to" in that post.
I did this exercise and can see how important it is to look at your
ad test segmented out by time period (day or week, whatever is most
appropriate). The main reason for this is that if you simply report the
final results of your test, you won't tell the whole story. Most of the time, we look at the results of tests like this...
Why is this imperfect? Well, we know cumulatively that the
challenger performed better, but does that mean we should delete the
champion? Maybe, maybe not. You don't really know until you look at
the data in time. There could be a scenario where the champion
really struggled out of the gate in this test, but has … [Read more...] about Telling the Story of Your PPC Ad Tests With Time

It’s still happening. Google reported on Thursday that the average cost-per-click (CPC) was down again in Q2 from the prior year, marking the eleventh consecutive quarter in which the average CPC fell year-over-year. Some analysts and news outlets have been pointing to this as evidence of Google’s “mobile problem” — the problem Enhanced Campaigns was meant to fix when introduced last year. The fear is that Google can’t figure out a way to monetize mobile ad clicks as the time consumers spend on their phones climbs. Falling CPCs are interpreted as the canary in the coal mine, signaling that Google’s going to be left behind in the mobile economy and trampled by the likes of Facebook. But is average CPC really any indicator of Google’s market health? Do CPCs matter if click volume is rising (it is) and revenue is growing (it is)? Truth is, average CPC stats don’t really tell us much at all about what’s happening in Google’s … [Read more...] about Why Google’s Reported CPC Declines Can’t Tell The Story Of “A Mobile Advertising Problem”

It’s a true story. And it happened recently. Once upon a time there was a little hotel in upstate New York. It was a pretty nice place. No, it wasn’t part of a chain. In fact, it called itself a “boutique hotel.” The area was upscale and charming, with an oldish nostalgia that makes you just want to stroll down the tree-lined avenues. Being in the vicinity of the Vanderbilt and Rockefeller estates, the hotel had some serious cachet and upscale appeal. The hotel’s food was good enough to get it featured in publications like Bon Appétit magazine. The decor of the rooms was tasteful and elegant. It did a brisk business as a wedding venue. Couples would get hitched at the hotel, then honeymoon in the nearby Catskill mountains. Like other local businesses, the hotel wanted good online reviews. So it was determined to get them in any way possible. Good Reviews In Any Way Possible? That’s where things went downhill. In an attempt to discourage bad … [Read more...] about A True Story About Local SEO